Golden Opportunity
by Scribbler20
Summary: Original fiction inspired by the movie "Titanic" .... This is a story about making choices between love & the ties that bind...


Golden Opportunity  
  
  
  
It was a time of innocence and arrogance when Her Majesty of the Sea set sail on her maiden voyage from Paris to New York. She was the dream ship of the early 1900s. Her amenities were nothing short of spectacular, from her fine linens to the superb quality of her china and crystal. Those who sailed on this wonder of the sea were the extremely wealthy heading home after summering on the Riviera, and immigrants in search of a better life in America.  
  
One of the first-class passengers was a young, fair-haired girl of eighteen, by the name of Lilly. She was quiet and introverted, yet possessed a fiery heart that screamed to be set free from the chains of high society. She desperately wanted to escape her mother's pre-planned life. Loathing the world she had been born into and all the people in it, she immersed herself in stories of adventure and rebellion. In her stateroom, she remained alone, intently reading as if her very existence depended on it until her mother finally begged, "Lilly, please come and enjoy the wonderful amenities the ship has to offer. You can't stay cooped up in this stateroom the entire voyage." "Mother, please, stop interrupting me!" Lilly said abruptly. "But you haven't come out of your room since the ship set sail. Everyone's been asking about you. I'm becoming very concerned about you." "Oh, Mother, don't be. I'm fine, really. I've just been engrossed in this book. I just can't seem to put it down. Tell you what, I'll meet you for tea at two o'clock" Lilly offered. "Wonderful! Lady Evelyn Ashby will be joining us. She'll be thrilled to see you again." Her mother left and Lilly thought, "That's what she thinks," and continued reading.  
  
Every day, the same attendant, a handsome, young man with British flair, would come in and tidy up the room, and bring Lilly her meals. Each time, he found her with her nose buried in a book. He ignored it at first, until one day he dared ask, "Pardon me, Miss, but it's a beautiful day. Shouldn't you be out enjoying it?" "Aren't you supposed to be working, rather than watching me?" Lilly replied, annoyed. "Well yes, Miss, but, I couldn't help but notice that ever since you boarded the ship, you haven't been out of your stateroom." "Isn't that my business? Now, please do your job. You can start by bringing me a cup of tea." Her words were cold and demeaning. "Yes, Miss, right away." The young man left and returned promptly with her tea. "Thank you. Now, please leave me for a while." "I promise, no more interruptions," he said, as he quietly left the room. Lilly's mother returned to dress for dinner. "Lilly, where were you? You never showed up for tea!"  
  
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. I got involved in my book and time just flew by." "Well, Lilly, I want you to put your silly books aside for tonight and join us for dinner for once. Now get dressed this instant!" her mother demanded. "But Mother, I'm really not hungry right now . . . " "I don't care! You're going to make an appearance tonight. Is that clear?" her mother demanded. "Yes, Mother." She went into the dressing room and changed into her eveningwear, feeling like a child again, rather than the adult she was.  
  
Lilly was very quiet during dinner, speaking only when spoken to. She couldn't wait for dessert to be served. "Mother, please excuse me, I'd like to go for a walk on deck for a while before bed." "That's fine, Lilly." She politely thanked the other dinner guests for a pleasant evening and left.  
  
Her walk on deck took her in no particular direction, as she was completely absorbed in the night sky, dotted with twinkling stars. The moon was full and shone as bright as a spotlight. She found herself standing in front of the bow rail, staring out into oblivion, dreaming of the day she would be free to make her own choices. Tears rolled down her cheek, as she wondered if that day would ever come.  
  
Tommy Adams, the young man who attended to her stateroom, was on his way back to his quarters at the end of his shift, when he noticed her crying. "Is everything okay, Miss?" he asked politely. Lilly was startled. "Yes, I'm fine!" she snapped, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Do you often sneak up on people like this?" "I'm sorry if I startled you, but from where I'm standing, you don't look fine. Is there anything I can do? I'm a great listener, if you want to talk about whatever's bothering you." "I doubt there's anything you can do to help. Besides, aren't you off duty now?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "Yes, I am, but I hate to see a damsel in distress." "I'm hardly a damsel in distress, sir. Everything is wonderful, simply peachy," she said, trying to sound convincing. "Why don't I believe you? You need to get out more. I'm off duty tomorrow and I'm going to take you on a personal tour of the ship. By the way, my name's Tommy Adams." He offered his hand. "Lilly Vandemere. Thank you, Mr. Adams, but I'm really not interested in . . ." "I won't take no for an answer. I'll meet you here after breakfast. I promise you a day you'll never forget."  
  
She began to see this as the adventure she'd been looking for. How scandalous for a first-class passenger to be seen with one of the ship's attendants gallivanting around the ship! "All right, Mr. Adams, you have yourself a date." "Great, I'll see you tomorrow then, and please call me Tommy," he replied, as he headed towards his quarters. On the walk back to her room, Lilly felt a sense of excitement.  
  
The following morning, Lilly and her mother had breakfast on the promenade deck. "Do you any plans for today?" her mother asked. "No. I'm just going stay here and finish my book. I may take a walk on deck later. What about you? It's getting close to nine o'clock. Didn't I hear you tell Lady Evelyn last night that you were going to meet her then to discuss the charity ball next month?" "Oh, my goodness, you are absolutely right. Thank you, my dear, for reminding me." She got up to leave. "Do take that walk later today, Lilly. It will do you a world of good." When the coast was clear, Lilly left to meet Tommy.  
  
When she arrived, Tommy was making notes in his journal. "Hello, Tommy" she said to him. "You made it. I was beginning to think you were going to stand me up." "I'm a woman of my word!" she boasted "Well, let's not waste any time. There's lots to see on this ship." "Okay, lead the way!" Lilly sounded giddy with excitement. As they toured the crewmen's quarters, Tommy asked, "So what sort of books do you enjoy reading?" "Nineteenth-century literature, nothing you'd be interested in." "Try me," he replied, sounding slightly insulted. She sensed that she offended him. "I'm sorry if I offended you, Tommy. I'm just used to my attendants being . . ." "Uneducated, right? Don't apologize. My parents gave up a lot to educate me. When they died two years ago, I was left all alone. This was the only job I could get. You see, I'm a writer. Unfortunately, being a writer these days doesn't put food on the table. If you're not well known, the big New York publishers don't read your books," Tommy explained. "That's terrible. I consider myself an aficionado, may I read some of your work?" "Sure. I'd like that very much."  
  
The tour continued until about noon. Then, they spent the rest of the day together. Lilly told him that she had led a rather sheltered life. She longed to do the things that she read about in books, like horseback riding and spending entire days at carnivals. Things that common folk do. "Oh, my dear girl, you haven't lived until you've galloped on horseback along the seashore, and camped out under the stars. Stick with me and I'll show you what it means to truly live. It's the simple things in life that make us happy." As he talked, she wondered if he could be the one person who could truly make her happy. Maybe it was the way he looked at life. Or, maybe it was that he looked beyond the spoiled, little, rich girl image and saw her for who she really was on the inside. "I agree with you," she said.  
  
Moments later, Lilly's mother appeared saying "There you are Lilly. I'm so glad you decided to get out of your stateroom for a change." "Yes, I've been here, talking with this kind gentlemen." "And what is your name, sir?" she asked eyeing him up with disapproval. "Tommy Adams." "Aren't you one of our stateroom servants?" "Yes, ma'am, I am. I'm off duty today." "Besides working here on the ship, Tommy's a writer" Lilly said. "Are you an accomplished writer?" her mother asked. "Well it all depends on how you define accomplished." Tommy felt the sting of her cold, harsh words. Mrs. Vandermere did not care for his response "Say goodbye to Mr. Adams, it's time to dress for dinner". "But Mother, I'm really not hungry . . ." "Say goodbye, Lilly!" She grabbed her arm and led her away. Lilly looked back and Tommy said to her, "Go, I will find you later and we'll talk some more".  
  
Meanwhile, the captain had received a rather disturbing weather report. It stated that violent storms were heading toward the North Atlantic within the next twenty-four hours. Feeling confident that the storms would miss them, he went about his usual business of running the ship, ignoring the reports.  
  
As Lilly's dressed for dinner, she said, "Mother, how could you treat me like a child in front of Tommy? I am eighteen years old!" "And how could you let yourself be seen with such riff-raff?" her mother retorted. "Riff-raff? Is that what you think of him?" "Lilly, he's our room servant, for God's sake. What ever possessed you to get involved with someone like that?" "Like what? A lower-class man? Oh Mother, you really are a snob, aren't you?" " Lilly, think about it. You don't know anything about this boy. I just don't want you to get hurt." "Well, it's my choice now isn't it?" "No, it's not. When you live in my house, I make the choices for you." "Mother, that's not fair! When do I get to live my own life instead of living yours?" "All right Lilly, you want choices, here they are, Tommy or me. You go against my wishes and you will no longer be a part of this family", her mother said sternly. Lilly just stood there in shock. She couldn't believe that her own mother would disown her. She asked herself if she was ready to be on her own.  
  
During dinner, Lilly ate little, still in shock over her mother's threat. "Why, Lilly, dear, why aren't you eating? Aren't you hungry?" her mother asked. Lilly threw down her napkin, got up from the table and sarcastically said, "You know why! Excuse me." She politely excused herself from the table and left. She went back to her stateroom to try to sort out all the mixed emotions stirring in her heart. Meanwhile, Tommy had spent the better part of the evening searching for her, as he had promised, but to no avail.  
  
The next day, Lilly did everything she could to avoid him. She couldn't face him, knowing she had to say goodbye to him, whether she liked it or not. She did rather well up until mid-afternoon, when she heard Tommy calling her name. He finally caught up to her and said, "I've been looking all over for you. You haven't been avoiding me, have you?" "Mr. Adams, thank you again for the lovely tour yesterday, but I don't see how we can "see" each other anymore. We're from two completely different worlds, so I would appreciate it if you would please leave me alone," she said snobbishly "Your mother said something to you last night, didn't she?" he asked suspiciously "Why would you ask such a stupid question? Besides, conversations between my mother and I are private. Now, please excuse me. I must dress for dinner. Good day, Mr. Adams." Lilly left, glad that he couldn't see her tears as she walked away from him.  
  
Later that evening, a string quartet played dance music. A young man asked Lilly to dance. She started to politely decline, but her mother said, "Of course she will. Go ahead, Lilly, after all, he is our kind of people." "You're right, Mother," she said, trying to appease her. "I would love to dance" she told the young man. All she could think about was Tommy. When the music stopped, she said, "Thank you for the dance. Please excuse me." With that, Lilly left the dining room in search of Tommy.  
  
She had a pretty good idea of where to find him. As suspected, she found him on deck, writing in his journal of ideas. "Tommy" she said softly. She ran towards him with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry for the way I acted earlier today. I thought if I played the snobby, little rich girl I could bury my feelings for you, but I can't. I just realized that ever since I met you, you're the one person in my life that make me happy." He gently hushed her. "No more words." He opened his arms and held her close. He kissed her tenderly and whispered "It was fate that brought us together and nothing will keep us apart. I promise."  
  
Suddenly the ship began to rock. The winds turned icy and intensely fierce. "Tommy, what's happening?" she asked in a terrified voice. "A storm's brewing. We need to take cover quickly. Run, Lilly!"  
  
Instantly, the sea turned from calm to rough water. It became increasingly difficult for them to move through the ship's passageways. They were violently pushed from side to side along the walls as they ran.  
  
The captain sounded the alarms as he saw the waves becoming dangerously high. He sensed that this storm was much more threatening than he had ever imagined.  
  
At hearing the alarm, the passengers began to panic as they, too, had felt the ship's violent movements. Confusion reigned as passengers ran aimlessly in search of safety. Many of the crewmembers were trampled as they attempted to keep order among the anxious and fearful crowd.  
  
The storm drew closer as hurricane force winds began to pummel the ship. "We need to get down below. It's going to be the safest place because it's below sea level," Tommy said, as they ran through the main dining room. Lilly's mother stopped her. "There you are Lilly, I've been looking all over for you. I got worried when you didn't come back." She noticed that Tommy was with her. "Lilly, I thought I forbade you to see this young man. You know the consequences." "No Mother, you gave me a choice and I choose Tommy. I don't need you anymore. I can take care of myself." "Lilly, be reasonable about this." Her mother continued to plead her case. "I don't have time to argue about this with you. The hurricane may cause the ship to capsize! You need to find someplace safe, now go!" She and Tommy ran off. "Lilly!" her mother screamed. She frantically ran after them, but Lilly and Tommy had soon disappeared.  
  
By now, the storm had reached its peak, and tidal waves were breaking over the sides of the ship. Destruction of the upper decks was apparent as glass doorways were exploding one by one. "Tommy, look out!" Lilly screamed. Flying debris headed towards them. Tommy grabbed her and dropped to the floor, covering her with his body. His leg was severely gashed by flying glass. Moments later, he looked up and felt it was safe for them to proceed down the nearby stairwell. "Tommy, you're hurt!" she cried. "I'm fine, keep going, we're almost there," he reassured her.  
  
When they reached the bottom, Lilly helped him lie down. In an attempt to stop the bleeding, she tightly wrapped Tommy's leg with her scarf, then sat down beside him. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, "Ah!" he cried out. He held her close. "We're safe now. Everything'll be okay. We just need to wait for the storm to blow over". There was nothing left to do but wait.  
  
As time slowly passed, Tommy knew that he wouldn't survive. He began to feel weak and slowly started to lose consciousness. He remained strong for Lilly. "Listen to me, Lilly." His voice was weak. "Never stop living, no matter how bad life may become for I'll always be with you. We are soul mates." She kissed him and repeated his words with a smile, "Never stop living." He smiled back. Quietly and peacefully he drifted away. Lilly soon fell asleep as well.  
  
The next morning, Lilly was awoken by a frighteningly real nightmare. Everything was quiet. "Tommy, wake up, the storm's over. We made it," she said shaking him to wake up. No response. "Tommy, wake up. It's all over." Her voice quivered as she desperately tried to rouse him. Still no response. Tears rolled down her cheek. She realized that her nightmare had become a cold, harsh reality. She touched his cheek. Tommy's skin was cold. He was gone. As she cried, she held him one last time and whispered, "I love you, Tommy. You'll always live in my heart. I swear, I'll never break my promise to you." Lilly stood up, wiped the tears from her eyes and proceeded upstairs to face the world alone. At the foot of the stair she found Tommy's "journal of ideas" lying on the floor. She picked it up and took it with her, vowing that she would have his stories published one way or another.  
  
As she walked through the once luxurious ship, she was shocked to see that the storm had destroyed the ship's upper decks. During the long, morbid trek across what was left of the main dining room, Lilly walked through a maze of dead bodies. She saw her mother, lying lifeless on the floor. Although she had resented her for trying to control her life, she was deeply saddened by her death. Yet, she also felt a great weight being lifted off her shoulders, and a new sense of freedom overcame her. As she boarded the rescue ship alone, Lilly gazed at the now calm sea, for she knew she was about to embark on a new life, with Tommy's inspiration and spirit as her guide. 


End file.
